Paramount Pictures released the first official trailer for a sequel to The Ring franchise on YouTube yesterday, August 24th.
The movie is called ‘Rings‘ and although the premise of the story is very similar to what audiences might expect, the film promises a new chapter of the saga with a modern touch. Naomi Watts will not appear in the movie, as the trailer description listed a whole new cast. ‘Rings’ is coming to the theaters on October 28th of this year.
The new story carries on 13 years after the events of the first film – starring Naomi Watts- and follows a woman -played by Matilda Lutz- and her boyfriend watching the famous and haunted video of Samara Morgan via an email.
Soon after, the phone rings, and a voice saying “seven days” sets a lethal curse on the protagonists. The woman sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend, and in doing so discovers a “movie within the movie” no one else has seen before, according to the trailer description.
The horror classic features a well-known group of actors
Cast members include Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Night Lights), Lizzie Brocheré (American Horror Story: Asylum), the Big Bang Theory’s John Galecki and veteran actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Hannibal, Law & Order: Criminal Intent).
The franchise has had its ups and downs
DreamWorks initially released ‘The Ring’ in 2002. The movie was a remake of a 1998 Japanese horror film called ‘Ringu.’ Gore Verbinski directed the American adaptation and the film received positive reviews, with a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes and over $249 million in ticket sales.
The success of the first movie led other productions companies to follow the same road by releasing more J-Horror adaptations such as The Grudge (2004), Dark Water (2005), Pulse (2006), and One Missed Call (2008).
A sequel to the first film titled ‘The Ring Two’ hit the theaters in 2005, but even though Hideo Nakata -director of the original movie- was in charge of this production, critics consider it a major flop.
Samara Morgan is hunting her victims through modern TVs and computers
The upcoming sequel is supposedly taking place in more recent times, and the trailer throws some hints on this matter. Flat-screen TVs can be seen throughout the clip. Also, the haunted video comes to the protagonist’s attention via the internet.
Another scene depicts an airplane flight, and a black liquid coming through the seat screens and making its way to the pilot cabin, causing havoc among passengers. However, the trailer also features the classic telephone call from Samara Morgan.
Source: Vanity Fair